The sanctions will hit “any sort of companies that were dealing with equipment related to Assad and chemical weapons use,” she said.

This comes after a suspected chemical attack killed 80 Syrian people in a town held by anti-Assad rebels last week.

Both the Syrian government and its ally Russia have denied involvement in the chemical attack, which occurred in the Syrian town of Douma and is believed to have killed dozens of civilians. Moscow has suggested that allegations over the attack are false, as well as claiming it was coordinated by Britain. The US and France have both said they have proof Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was behind the chemical weapon use.